Proview Shenzhen Technology, a Chinese company based in the city Shenzhen, has accused Apple of patent infringement over the iPad.
“We ask the court to stop selling and marketing for Apple’s iPad in China. We also demand an apology,” said Xie Xianghui, a lawyer representing the Proview Technology Shenzhen told China Daily.
It’s an interesting twist in a country where patent infringement can be as common as bootleg DVDs. Both companies claim the iPad as a trademark, but the Chinese company claims it has had rights to the trademark since 2000 or 2001. The company requests a stop to iPad sales in China due to the patent infringement as well as a fine for damages.
Apparently Proview Taiwan, an affiliate of the Shenzhen that did not legally represent it, sold the iPad trademark to IP Application Development, a UK-based company that then sold the rights to Apple, apparently unaware the parent company had not authorized the sale.
Apple sued Proview Shenzhen last year to legally gain the right to the iPad name, but lost the lawsuit.